Anti-water-charge protesters gather for country-wide demonstrations
Anti-water-charge protesters are to take to the streets of towns and cities across Ireland in a series of co-ordinated demonstrations by local groups.
In Dublin, campaigners are gathering at Connolly Station on the north side and Heuston on the south side before marching along the Liffey quays in an attempt to cause mass traffic disruption.
Several thousand people have declared their support online for the protest.
A series of other demonstrations are planned for suburbs around the capital and around the country in Cork, Carlow, Edenderry, Galway, Letterkenny, Listowel, Laois and Wexford.
Deputy Richard Boyd-Barrett of the People Before Profit Alliance says they won't back down.
"People do not accept that the so-called concessions the Government made on water charges are enough," he said.
"They want water charges scrapped completely, and today we will see tens of thousands of people across the country sending a clear statement to the Government that the water charges must go and that the campaign of protest and popular revolt against this hated water tax will continue and escalate."
The main actions are being promoted by the DublinSaysNo campaign, members of which have been involved in some of the more militant protests to have taken place.
One of the most outspoken members of the opposition group was recorded at a school in Finglas over a week ago shouting insults at President Michael D Higgins over the water charges controversy.
In one remark a man was heard shouting “midget parasite” as the President left.
Members of Sinn Féin, the Socialist Party and the Anti-Austerity Alliance are expected to take part in some of the demonstrations.
The Right2Water campaign, which spearheaded the mass rally in Dublin late last year when more than 100,000 people took to the streets, urged members of the public to make an effort to attend the latest protests.
In a statement, the campaign said: “The campaign against these unjust water charges continues. Last year, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets all over the country, and wrung significant concessions from the Government.
“But as we said at the time – people marched for abolition, not concessions. Although tomorrow’s local events are not being organised by Right2Water, we fully support them and would urge as many people as possible to attend.”
